((((((((((((((((( WEBREFERENCE UPDATE NEWSLETTER )))))))))))))))))
JULY 27, 1998
This newsletter is sponsored by i/us.
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Now with over 37800 subscribers
http://www.webreference.com <- link to us today
http://www.webreference.com/new/ <- archive, subscribe/unsubscribe
New this week on WebReference.com and the Web:
1. INTERNET BUZZ: Mozilla Marries Alexa -
The Brewster Kahle Interview
2. 3D ANIMATION WORKSHOP: VRML - Embers in the Ashes
3. E-COMMERCE WATCH: Book Excerpt: Building SET Applications
For Secure Transactions
4. NEW LINKS: Design Tutorials, Promotion, Search Resources
5. NEW SOFTWARE: PhotoAnimator 1.0, UBB 5.0
6. NEW SITES: FreeDrive.com, eBLAST.com
7. OTHER VOICES:
* Netscape's Action Sheets
* Java on Your Site?
* Drumbeat 2.0 Review
* Flash and Aftershock
* US Senate Hearing on Competition in the Digital Age
Spread the word! Feel free to send a copy of this newsletter to
your friends and colleagues, and while you're at it, snap a link to
WebReference.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. INTERNET BUZZ: Mozilla Marries Alexa - The Brewster Kahle Interview
Netscape's new Navigator 4.5 offers "Smart Browsing." The Alexa
component tells you about Web sites as you visit them.
Alexa founder Brewster Kahle reveals why the Netscape tie-in
is important, how Alexa plugs into Internet Explorer, why
portals are the wrong answer, and much more. By Rich Wiggins.
http://www.webreference.com/outlook/column28/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. 3D ANIMATION WORKSHOP: VRML - Embers in the Ashes
Now that we've mourned the passing of the best VRML browser who
will offer us the solace our bereaved souls need? Microsoft tries
to comfort us with World View, but will this turn out to be cold
comfort indeed? By Robert Polevoi.
http://www.webreference.com/3d/lesson45/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. E-COMMERCE WATCH: Book Excerpt: Building SET Applications For
Secure Transactions
Excerpts from Mark Merkow's new book on the Secure Electronic
Transaction (SET) Standard. Over the next few weeks we'll be
posting several chapters for your reading pleasure.
http://www.webreference.com/ecommerce/mm/books/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. NEW LINKS: Design Tutorials, Promotion, Search Resources
>Design Resources
"Oh dah-ling! That looks simply marvelous! How do you do it?"
These and other raves can be yours after reviewing our design
resources. They're absolutely *fab*ulous!
http://www.webreference.com/authoring/design/tutorials.html
>Promotion Resources
Try our new and improved promotions section! Completely reorganized,
this area is devoted to making it easy to find ways to make your
site stand out. Promote it and they will come.
http://www.webreference.com/promotion/
>Search Resources
Feeling a little lost on the waves of the Internet? Search before
you surf using our handy list of guides and Webcrawlers.
http://www.webreference.com/internet/search.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. NEW SOFTWARE: PhotoAnimator 1.0, UBB 5.0
>PhotoAnimator 1.0
Extensis' new PhotoAnimator is more than a simple frame compiler
it's an animation sequencer, plus GIF89a optimizer. There are no
touch-up tools like WebPainter and GIFMation but there is a nice
premier-like sequencer.
PhotoAnimator has a very clean interface, and is easy to use.
The idea is to create your original static objects in PhotoShop
and animate them in PhotoAnimator. It can import (and export)
layered PhotoShop files and GIF89as, and has its own matching
layers, plus cells (one or more frames), and frames (contains an
image). You apply special effects (scale, rotate, flip, move
[along a line], fade, etc., plus a unique gradient mask) to cells
with frames. The effect is automatically spread across all the
frames within a cell. Changing the number of frames in a cell
takes just a mouse drag, and it has multiple undos, so tweaking
is easy.
Unlike some other GIF animation tools, Extensis includes a set
of 5 tutorials along with their PDF manual. The tutorials quickly
get you up to speed and will have you creating compelling
animations (including higher clickthrough banner ads) in no time.
GIF Optimization:
PhotoAnimator includes efficient frame differencing for optimizing
animated GIFs. On export, select "interframe transparency
optimization" and PhotoAnimator performs a frame difference between
frames saving only the pixels that change from frame to frame. It
also automatically removes any comments. For the results see:
http://www.webreference.com/dev/gifanim/results.html
http://www.extensis.com
>UBB 5.0
Ted O'Neill of Ultimate Bulletin Board fame will release UBB 5.0
sometime on Wednesday (July 29th). I normally don't chronicle every
new program iteration but this is a major upgrade which includes
a number of useful features. These include a new search engine,
announcements, the ability to include custom headers and footers
(useful for banner ads and copyrights), and more.
Ted must be doing something right, in addition to the Web development
sites at Mecklermedia, Warner Brothers and Concentric Net recently
switched over. Bravo Ted! Just goes to show that there's still room
on the Net for the little guy with big ideas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. NEW SITES: FreeDrive.com, eBLAST.com
>FreeDrive.com
Nextec has launched FreeDrive, a site where you can store any
information you might otherwise keep on your hard drive for free.
Sign on, and you receive a password-protected 7.5 megabytes
of storage.
"FreeDrive is your own personal Web hard drive, a virtual drive
that resides on the Internet," said Michael Rhodes, president and
CEO of Nextec.
Nextec calls FreeDrive "the beginning of network computing" as it
allows multiple people to view your files, and for a fee, modify
them, all over the Web.
>eBLAST.com
The Encyclopedia Britannica Internet Guide has been completely
redesigned, and renamed. EBIG is now called "eBLAST" and the eBLAST
site has moved to:
The site features reference material, and a select list of 125,000
rated sites in subject areas from arts and literature to world
geography and culture. Sites are rated from "Noteworthy" (one star)
to "Best of the Web" (five stars) by EB editors. Users can "drill
down" from the broad categories to progressively more precise sub-
categories, or they can view the expanded outline of sites from one
page. Think of it as a selective Yahoo.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. OTHER VOICES: Netscape's Action Sheets, Java on Your Site?,
Drumbeat 2.0 Review, Flash and Aftershock, US
Senate Hearing on Competition in the Digital Age
>XML Gets Into Action (Sheets)
Everyone's heard of Microsoft's proposed Behaviors...but Netscape's
Action Sheets have received less press. Which one is closer to
what's currently a standard? By Nate Zelnick of WebDeveloper.com.
http://webdeveloper.com/xml/xml_072498.html
>Java on Your Site?
Check out the Java Boutique's latest article to find out the how
and why about using Java applets on your Web site.
http://javaboutique.internet.com/article_javaonyoursite.html
>Software Review: Elemental's Drumbeat 2.0
Scott Clark reviews what might be the ultimate Web design,
database, and authoring tool in one.
http://www.webdeveloper.com/categories/html/html_reviews_drumbeat.html
>Flash and AfterShock: Soothing Relief for Plug-in Burnout
When Navigator 5.0 hits the Web, Flash will be bigger than ever -
and none too soon. This new standard will be a balm to developers
tired of grappling with plug-ins.
http://www.iw.com/daily/tips/1998/07/0721-flash.html
>"Competition and Innovation in the Digital Age: Beyond the Browser
Wars"--US Senate Committee on the Judiciary
"The US Senate Committee on the Judiciary held its latest hearing on
competition in the computer age on July 23, 1998. At their site,
users can read statements from Lawrence J. Ellison, CEO of Oracle
Corporation; Mitchell Kertzman, CEO of Sybase Inc.; Jeff Papows, CEO
of Lotus Development Corporation; Michael Jeffress, Vice President
of Electronic TV Host; and Robert Glaser, CEO of Real Networks; as
well as Committee members Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy. An earlier
hearing concentrating on market power in the software industry was
held in March 1998."
http://www.senate.gov/~judiciary/wlful723.htm
http://wwwscout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/current/index.html
From the July 24, 1998 Scout Report
That's it for this week, see you next time.
Andrew King
Managing Editor, WebReference.com
update@webreference.com
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Also on Internet.com .... http://www.Internet.com
Guide to Internet Access and the WWW http://www.boardwatch.com
The best Web sites every moment http://www.coolcentral.com
The latest Internet news http://www.internetNews.com
How to do e-commerce on the Internet http://e-comm.internet.com
The Leading Business Internet Magazine http://www.internetworld.com
Java applets: freeware and shareware http://www.javaboutique.com
The definitive high-tech encyclopedia http://www.pcwebopaedia.com
Boost your site's search placement http://searchenginewatch.com
ServerWatch ratings and reviews http://www.serverwatch.com
Download Internet apps 4 WIN 3.x/95/NT http://www.stroud.com
THE list of ISPs with 3,000+ http://www.thelist.com
The Web Developer's Virtual Library http://www.wdvl.com
Web server software comparisons http://www.webcompare.com
WebDeveloper, resources and tips http://www.webdeveloper.com
The developer's guide to webmastery http://www.webreference.com
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